How to be Stylish on a Budget

1. Raid your closet for clothes you forgot you had. Look through your closet to find clothing you may have forgotten about. There have been multiple occasions where I’ve put clothes in the back of my closet and forgotten about them. If you have siblings or friends with a similar body type to yours, ask to see if they have any clothing they want to swap. You can also gather old clothes you don’t want anymore and sell them on sites like Poshmark or at stores such as Plato’s Closet in order to get a little bit of shopping cash.

2. Go thrifting. If you people’s thrifting haul videos, you will see how you can find very stylish pieces at thrift stores that no one else will have. Keep an open mind and be patient in your search – you never know what steal you could find!

3. Use coupons. If you’re going to shop online, most clothing sites offer emails to receive coupons, as well as send coupons out for your birthday. You can always search online for coupons to use in store as well. Try to wait to buy a piece of clothing until a coupon comes out. A lot of stores and sites also have coupons for college students. Sign up for UNiDAYS, they have a bunch of partner stores with coupon codes for college students.

4. Shop sales and clearance. Wait for the end-of-season sales, because that is when items go on huge discounts. Around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, clothing sites always have sales and coupons available for you to utilize. Check the clearance rack in store or the section online.

5. Buy basic pieces. Basic clothing can be styled up or down. These are timeless pieces that will always be in style, such as a black dress or a pair of dark or medium-wash jeans. You can put on a pair of jeans, a simple top, and a pair of classic heels and look super stylish. If you buy lots of clothing pieces that don’t match with enough things in your wardrobe, you’ll be wasting your money because you won’t end up wearing these items much. Ask yourself if you can wear a piece a few different ways with a few different outfits. Having statement pieces is fun, but too many will make creating outfits quite difficult.

6. DIY Clothing. Search online for ways to create DIY (“Do It Yourself”) clothing. If you see a ripped shirt that you like, you can always buy a similar, inexpensive top and do your best to re-create a dupe. There are so many videos featuring different ways to DIY clothing, from making your own chokers to ripping your own jeans. If there is a piece of clothing you want but it is out of your budget, try to see if you can create it yourself.